For actor Elliot Page, the journey to authentic living has been and continues to be an emotional one. In his first interview since then jut As a transgender in December, Page spoke to Time Magazine about the “deep gratitude” she felt “for getting to this point in my life” and her struggle to ensure that all transgender people have the support. they need.
“I want to live and be who I am,” he told Time Time, which is known for its role in Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy.” “… It’s a complicated journey and a continuous process.”
Page is the first transgender man to be on the cover of Time magazine, according to Reuters.
Despite coming out just three months ago, Page, 34, said in an interview that he felt like he wanted to identify himself as a boy since he was a child. He said, however, that in order to be a professional actor, a career he began at the age of 10 required him to “look a certain way.”
When he decided to tell the world that his name was Elliot, he said he anticipated a lot of support and love – but also a “massive amount of hatred and transphobia”.
“That’s basically what happened,” Page told the magazine. But despite the criticism he faced, he told the magazine that he believed he had the privilege and responsibility of being honest and living authentically.
“Extremely influential people spread these myths and damage rhetoric – every day you see our existence debated,” Page said. “Transgender people are so real.”
Much of this debate has been political. To date, in 2021, more than 100 bills have been proposed that would have a negative impact on the LGBTQ community, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. More than 60 of these bills specifically target transgender youth, the ACLU said.
Since leaving, Page has mainly used her social media pages to raise awareness about crimes and legislation affecting the LGBTQ community. One of the issues he focused on is access to non-discriminatory health care for transgender people.
One of the most comprehensive surveys of transgender people in the US, launched in 2016, found that one in three transgender people who saw a doctor during the year reported at least one negative experience of being transgender, including harassment and denial of treatment. . Those who are transgender were also more likely than the general population not to be insured.
“My privilege has allowed me to have the resources to move on and be where I am today,” Page told Time, “and of course I want to use that privilege and platform to help in the ways I can.”
Even when she posted a tweet about her interview in Time, Elliot used her platform to raise awareness of the discrimination transgender people face. “With deep respect for those who came before me, gratitude for those who supported me and a great concern for the generation of young trans that we all need to protect, please join me and denounce the legislation anti-trans, hatred and discrimination in all its forms, “he wrote on Twitter.
“We know who we are,” Page told Time, referring to the debate over the rights of transgender people. “People cling to these firm ideas [about gender] because it makes people feel safe. But if we could celebrate all the wonderful complexities of people, the world would be such a good place. “